Gertner Institute

Gertner Institute
Name	Gertner Institute
Founded	1990s
Headquarters	Tel Aviv
Location	Tel Aviv
Focus	Health policy, public health, health systems

Gertner Institute

The Gertner Institute is an Israeli health policy research center based in Tel Aviv associated with studies on public health, health economics, health systems, and healthcare policy in Israel and internationally. It engages with policymakers, academic institutions, and international organizations to inform decision-making linked to clinical services, health insurance, and population health. The institute conducts multidisciplinary research and evaluation that connects scholars, practitioners, and governmental actors across sectors including Ministry of Health (Israel), World Health Organization, and academic centers.

History

The institute was established amid a period of health system reform influenced by comparisons to models in United Kingdom, United States, Netherlands, Canada, and Germany. Early activities linked scholars from Tel Aviv University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Weizmann Institute of Science, and policy advisors from the Ministry of Health (Israel), contributing to analyses of National Health Insurance Law (Israel)-era reforms and deliberations referenced by committees convened alongside international actors such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the World Health Organization. Over time the institute expanded collaborations with hospitals like Sheba Medical Center, Rambam Health Care Campus, and Hadassah Medical Center, and research units including Clalit Health Services and Maccabi Healthcare Services.

Mission and Objectives

The institute's mission prioritizes evidence-based input to legislative and regulatory deliberations involving Knesset committees, the State Comptroller of Israel, and municipal health departments. Objectives include evaluating interventions comparable to programs in United States Department of Health and Human Services, informing cost-effectiveness assessments akin to those used by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and supporting ethical frameworks resonant with debates in venues such as the European Court of Human Rights and bioethics centers at Johns Hopkins University and Harvard University. The institute aims to bridge academic research from Columbia University, Oxford University, and University of Toronto with operational bodies like Clalit Health Services and international funders including Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Research and Programs

Research programs span comparative evaluation of health financing models derived from studies in France, Sweden, Japan, and Australia; health technology assessment methods related to work at National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and Institute for Clinical and Economic Review; and analyses of service delivery informed by case studies from Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Karolinska Institute, and Mount Sinai Health System. Projects include assessments of preventive programs similar to Vaccination Program rollouts examined by the World Health Organization and modeling studies referencing data sources such as the Central Bureau of Statistics (Israel). The institute runs training programs with faculties from Tel Aviv University Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University Faculty of Medicine, and international exchanges with London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Yale School of Public Health.

Publications and Policy Impact

The institute publishes policy briefs, white papers, and peer-reviewed articles appearing alongside research from Lancet, Health Affairs, BMJ, New England Journal of Medicine, and regional journals connected to Israel Medical Association Journal. Its analyses have been cited in deliberations by the Knesset Health Committee, advisory reports to the Ministry of Health (Israel), and international assessments by the World Health Organization and OECD. Outputs inform debates on rationing and priority setting similar to controversies addressed by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and committees in United Kingdom, and have been used by NGOs such as Physicians for Human Rights Israel and advocacy groups linked to Clalit Health Services and Maccabi Healthcare Services.

Organization and Governance

Governance structures mirror models found in research institutes at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, featuring an executive director, scientific advisory board, and board of trustees with members drawn from Tel Aviv University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and senior officials formerly of the Ministry of Health (Israel). Internal departments coordinate work on health economics, epidemiology, health services research, and ethics, liaising with hospital systems such as Sheba Medical Center and governmental units including the Knesset.

Collaborations and Partnerships

The institute maintains partnerships with academic partners like Tel Aviv University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and international centers including London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Harvard University, Yale University, Oxford University, University of Toronto, and networks linked to the World Health Organization and OECD. Collaborative projects involve healthcare providers such as Sheba Medical Center, Rambam Health Care Campus, Hadassah Medical Center, and insurers like Clalit Health Services and Maccabi Healthcare Services, as well as international funders and foundations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and philanthropic entities modeled on Wellcome Trust partnerships.

Funding and Facilities

Funding streams combine competitive grants from agencies comparable to the European Research Council and national funders analogous to Israel Science Foundation, contracts with the Ministry of Health (Israel), consultancy work for municipal authorities, and donations from philanthropic organizations inspired by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Wellcome Trust. Facilities are located in Tel Aviv proximate to research hubs like Tel Aviv University and clinical sites including Ichilov Hospital (Sourasky Medical Center), enabling data linkage with national registries held by entities such as the Central Bureau of Statistics (Israel) and health maintenance organizations like Clalit Health Services.

Category:Research institutes in Israel Category:Health policy